Waltham Voices: Let’s talk about social justice

Comment

By Alina LiuGuest columnist

Wicked Local

By Alina LiuGuest columnist

Posted Apr. 28, 2014 at 10:00 AM

By Alina LiuGuest columnist

Posted Apr. 28, 2014 at 10:00 AM

WALTHAM

» Social News

Brandeis University has certainly made quite a few headlines over the past months regarding the outrage among students and alumni over the unfair salary paid to the former president. As an alum, I cannot be more proud to see my fellow Brandeisians taking a stand for social justice within their own institution, advocating for human rights as members of the Brandeis community.

From what I remembered, Brandeis has always been an inclusive institution that emphasizes embracing diversity and respecting human dignity. Therefore, for an institution that strives for social justice with the motto, "Truth even unto its innermost parts," I was simply shocked to learn Brandeis has denied Ayaan Hirsi Aliís outstanding achievement at defending the rights of women merely because of some statements made during a previous interview.

First of all, I would like to say that I consider myself an atheist. I feel the urge to address my personal belief here to avoid any misinterpretation that my opinions are associated with a particular religion.

Hirsi Ali was born into a Muslim family in Somalia, and at the age of 5, she went through the horrifying ritual of female genital mutilation, a procedure that involves "partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons." As a survivor of female circumcision and an arranged marriage, Hirsi Ali fled to the Netherlands in 1992, where she was granted asylum.

As Hirsi Ali came into frequent contact with local Somali refugee women in the Netherlands, she began to advocate for Muslim refugee women and girls who are experiencing abuse, oppression and social isolation. In 2007, Hirsi Ali and her supporters founded the AHA Foundation with the mission to "protect and defend the rights of women in the West from oppression justified by religion and culture."

It is action that can create an impact on our world, an impact on our mind. I hold the belief that action speaks louder than words, and a personís value and virtue should be manifested through his or her work instead of comments taken out of context from a former interview.

Through years of advocacy work, various death threats have been made toward Hirsi Ali by religious extremists because of her outspoken style against Islam. Everyone has a different relationship with his or her religion. For Hirsi Ali, her religious experience has been marked with physical suffering and psychological torment. I believe that no religion should tolerate violence or suffering; all human beings deserve dignity and respect.

As a private institution, Brandeis is certainly concerned of its own reputation as a nonsectarian institution. The decision to withdraw the honorary degree was the result of pressure from several sources, including a petition started by Muslim students and the openly expressed disapproval from the Council on American-Islamic Relations regarding the same issue. However, by withdrawing a planned awarding, the reputation of the institution has already suffered. Isnít the fundamental purpose of a higher education institution to serve as a site for social change, a site that allows individuals to speak out their minds, a site where different ideas collide into each other and spark the magnificent flame of creativity?

Page 2 of 2 - In essence, Hirsi Ali is a public figure that represents modern-day free-spirited women, a group of women who have the freedom to preserve their religious beliefs without compromising their fundamental rights as humans or giving up their identity as individuals. Through Hirsi Aliís voice, Muslim women are struggling to break free of religious and cultural oppression by informing the rest of the world of the cruel reality they live in.

I hope Brandeis can stay true to its motto, "Truth even unto its innermost parts," encouraging students to explore the depth of humanity by actively engaging a conversation around the pressing issue instead of passively avoiding sensitive topics. As disappointed as I am, I do wish in the near future that Hirsi Ali could come to Brandeis and open up a conversation with students and faculty to engage a more in-depth discussion regarding the issue of human rights.

Alina Liu is a graduate of Brandeis and a master's student studying social work at the University of Pennsylvania.